Eighty Eight:

Magun's CompassLearn from the Travel Experiences of Others

China,
October 1988

You
really felt like one in a billion
in those days.

The big
machine was in momentum all around. Many were afraid to speak, the Sino-Chinese summit was
still a long way off, and with that the most memorable picture to come out of China; that
lone protester standing in the line of an advancing tank column in Tian'men Square.

"Ah," he looks at
the notebook more closely. How much can he read of the scrawl, or even understand?

He smiles,
and reveals two bottom teeth moulded in gold. Another nugget gleams from the top
right-hand side of his mouth. Was the gap in the front the result of two being pawned, or
is he still saving?

He smells
of beer, is overseas Chinese, and works on the boats. He likes it that your countries are
friends, and tells you that the large red sign on the bridge means: 'workers
should work hard to build the city'.

A crowd
appears. There are nods of approval, and sighs of comprehension. Many of the older people
had probably studied when they were not supposed to.

China was,
and still is, a very fascinating country. Sadly, the Mao suits are being replaced, and
gold teeth cost more.

Travel on trains and buses in Asia, then jump
into cars with complete strangers in Australia and New Zealand as Michel
introduces you to a collection of characters that bring
Nomadic Gatherings to life.

If you can't afford to buy a copy of Nomadic
Gatherings, the chapters are slowly being made available
online - for free.

You may even
decide that it really is worth having a hard copy in your hands; a
useful read for those long bus journeys being written about, and for
endless waits at ferry ports.